Beer v. Water After A Workout

Athletes deserve a little rest and relaxation too. However, partying creates hangovers and that kills workouts the next day. Could one (or two) post-workout beers really reverse all those reps? Keep reading to find out.

The Post-Workout Beer

Beer contains electrolytes and carbohydrates like many sports drinks, but too much of it can suppress your protein synthesis. Research shows that the rate of synthesis changes along with the amount of alcohol ingested. After consuming about five beers, your protein synthesis can be suppressed by up to 24%. However, no suppression occurred when only two beers, 28 grams of alcohol, were consumed. Evidence suggests that drinking upwards of five beers can impair both muscle growth and workout recovery.

Testosterone & Alcohol

Testosterone is important whenever you’re trying to build muscle, and low doses of alcohol have been shown to increase circulating testosterone by 17% in both young men and pre-menopausal women. Unfortunately, this increase in testosterone is not enough to increase muscle growth, and heavier drinkers will actually suppress testosterone (which could undo some of your hard efforts).

Our Opinion

You shouldn’t be chugging a beer for each mile you run. On the other hand, drinking in moderation with a lot of water could be the perfect reward after an intense, sweaty workout. Enjoy your craft beer and the gains too.

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3 comments

Always love a cheeky beer after racing, and genuinely whilst marathon training could have sworn by keeping beer in the diet – calories!! And also just think that balance is so important. Sometimes you just need the ice cold beer. As you say, in moderation!